Hollywood Popular Artists

May 2nd 2013, 18:00

By Tara Fowler

How do you tell that summer is nigh? A new RDJ movie is on the way. In honor of the third entry in the Iron Man franchise (and hopefully not the last), here are six fun facts about Hollywood's greatest comeback kid. Please note that if I could have listed "he's awesome" for each and every one of these entries, I would have, but that a) would not have been especially professional and b) is hardly something you don't already know about him. Read on!

1) He sings: And I don't just mean for fun. Downey released an album titled "The Futurist" back in 2004. It debuted at an underwhelming 121 on Billboard's albums chart, selling just 16,000 copies its first week. But forget the stats, judge for yourself with "Broken," the second track off the album and the theme to Downey's 2005 film "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang":

Confession: I kind of love it.

2) He dated Carrie Bradshaw for seven years: Downey met Sarah Jessica Parker on the set of "Firstborn" when they were both just 18. They lived together for some time before breaking up in 1991. Downey has since admitted that his behavior was to blame for their separation. "I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn't jibe with Sarah Jessica, because it is the furthest thing from what she is," he told Parade in 2008. "She provided me a home and understanding. She tried to help me. She was so miffed when I didn't get my act together."

3) He could've played Duckie in "Pretty in Pink": And if he had, the movie would have likely ended very differently. "Molly Ringwald felt that if Robert Downey, Jr., the guy that she liked, had been cast, she would have been okay with the original ending," actual Duckie actor Jon Cryer told audiences at a "Pretty in Pink" screening in 2008. The original ending being, of course, that Andie stayed at prom with Duckie.

4) He's wanted the Mandarin to be an "Iron Man" movie villain from Day 1: As Downey told Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" earlier this week, he begged Marvel president Kevin Feige to make the Mandarin his nemesis in the first Iron Man movie, but Feige wanted to wait for the right time to introduce the legendary character.

5) He's convinced he'll win an Oscar: It's only a matter of when. "I know it's going to happen," Downey told Chris Heath in a lengthy profile for the most recent issue of GQ, "Even if I don't get one directly, eventually they're just going to have to give me one when I get old. So no matter how you slice it, I'm getting one."

6) He can tie a mean diaper: During the same GQ interview, Downey's wife, producer Susan Downey, complimented her husband's diaper-wrapping skills (the two have a one-year-old son Exton). Sigh. Could the man be any more perfect?

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